At least two dozen bodies, many bearing signs of torture, were found dumped in Shiite areas of Baghdad on Tuesday, and the government almost doubled the death toll from clashes this week between militiamen and Iraqi forces, saying 73 people had died. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office announced that 50 gunmen loyal to firebrand anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had been killed in clashes in the southern city of Diwaniyah with the Iraqi army, which lost 23 troops. The death toll was significantly higher than the 40 people initially reported to have been killed Monday before a deal between the Shiite militiamen and the government ended a fierce, 12-hour street battle. Diwaniyah was calm Tuesday, residents and officials said, but an explosion at an oil pipeline south of the city killed at least 27 people. The cause was unclear, but police said people had been siphoning oil, which can cause accidental explosions. ... http://www.cbsnews.com

The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis left its seaside launch pad on Tuesday on a slow, day-long ride back to shelter to ride out expected high winds and rain from Tropical Storm Ernesto, NASA said. The move is likely to end the U.S. space agency's hopes of launching the shuttle by the end of its current launch window on September 7, in what would be the first International Space Station assembly mission since the 2003 Columbia disaster. The window is determined by a variety of technical factors, including the position of the space station, the angle of the sun and newly imposed restrictions by NASA to launch only during daylight so cameras can have clear views of the shuttle's external fuel tank. Foam insulation falling off the tank during launch triggered the Columbia disaster, which claimed the lives of seven astronauts. NASA has redesigned the tank twice since...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2370091

The nation’s poverty rate was essentially unchanged last year, the first year it hasn’t increased since before President Bush took office.The Census Bureau reported Tuesday that 37 million Americans were living under the poverty line last year — about 12.6 percent of the population. That’s down from 12.7 percent in 2004, but census officials said the change was statistically insignificant.The median household income — the point at which half make more and half make less — was $46,300, a slight increase from 2004. However, the number of people without health insurance increased to 46.6 million in 2005. About 45.3 million people were without insurance the year before...http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14570125/

A Malian man has died after he and 50 other would-be migrants were dumped by the Moroccan authorities in the Sahara. The group, including citizens of Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Ivory Coast and Guinea had been trying to reach Europe in small boats when they were intercepted. They were left in a desert border zone between Mauritania and Western Sahara without food or water, aid workers say. Over 18,000 African migrants have arrived on the Canary Islands in boats this year, hoping for jobs in the EU. "Neither the Moroccans nor the Mauritanians accept them on their territory," Ahmedou Ould Haye of the Mauritanian Red Crescent told Reuters news agency. Spanish relief agency Medicos del Mundo said its members had brought them food, water and plastic sheets with which to build shelters. Mauritania has reported finding the bodies of 16 migrants washed up on its beaches in recent days. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5294562.stm

A pipeline carrying oil byproducts exploded in southern Iraq today, killing 34 people and injuring another 45.Several people had been siphoning fuel from the pipeline when the explosion occurred in an industrial area south of Diwaniya, 80 miles (130 km) south of Baghdad, police said. The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, but police lieutenant Raid Jabir said it had caused a huge fire that was hampering rescue efforts. Iraqi and international forces had cordoned off the area, six miles south of Diwaniya, he added.The pipeline was originally used to transport gas from the Shuaiba oil field in Basra to the Musayyab power station, but Saddam Hussein converted it in 2003 to carry petrol reserves for the army, Mr Jabir said. He said locals had punctured the pipeline to siphon off fuel after the fall of Saddam's regime....http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1860443,00.html

An undersea earthquake with a reported magnitude of up to 5.4 has struck south-eastern Indonesia. Initial reports suggested the magnitude was up to 6.4, prompting a tsunami warning, but this was later withdrawn. A meterological agency spokesman said the quake had hit south-west of the Moluccan island of Tual. There were no immediate reports of any casualties. Last month a 7.7-magnitude quake off the coast of Java triggered a tsunami that killed more than 650 people. The US Geological Survey said it had recorded a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in the region at 1338 GMT on Tuesday. The Indonesian meteorological agency spokesman initally told Reuters news agency the quake had a 6.4 magnitude, but the agency later downgraded this to 5.4. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5295250.stm